The boy wants to stop skating.
'I fell down, Mommy.' he says, rubbing his bum. 'A lot. And some kids laughed at me.'
Crap.
He's had a few lessons, but nothing really structured. ( And those were awhile ago.) I don't know how to convince him that this might be something that he might want to stick with, that ice-skating is cousins with roller-blading and skate-boarding, that young boys+winter=ice hockey around here.
If he stopped now, he could miss out on a lot of fun. On the other hand, I never wanted to be one of those moms who stuck their kids in everything. I feel like I'm walking a hard line, somewhere in between Glee Club Cheerleader Mom (go, go! Siss Boom Bah!) and that Slacker who never makes her kids finish anything.
So! Any advice?
(His next school skating-trip is Friday.)
10 comments:
I'd say keep him at it. A few lessons or some more time on the ice would make all the difference. And where you live, ice skating is like skiing in Colorado. It's almost the same in Chicago.
Unfortunately, I can't skate, so I can't help my kids learn. My son picked skating up at school--my daughter not so much. She can still barely stand up on the things. I'd force lessons on her if she didn't have other, more pressing issues.
I totally don't qualify to give parent advice (since I'm only 7 weeks prego) but I'd take him skating sometime in the next week if I could to up his confidence. And, remind him of all the other things he rocks at, even if he's not destined to be the world's best skater.
I'd also encourage him to keep at it, with maybe a few comments about the meanness of kids who laugh at others' misfortunes ( because I just can't help myself though!). Sounds like he would miss out on winter fun each year otherwise. Maybe some father-son bonding one on one skate sessions?
go intensive this week and throw a chair in front of him on the ice to keep his balance. It's an important "I am Canadian" skill, regardless of hockey playing.
love the header btw - gorgeous
I hate situations like this. With the GirlChild, when she was taking dance and wanted to quit, I made her stay until the "season" or whatever it was ended. Kind of on the theory that we'd made a commitment to the dance troupe and it would be wrong to just quit and let them down. With something like this, it's more difficult.
Could you get him in some lessons to see if he would like it better if he were better at it?
Oh, boy, did I have this kind of discourse with my un-athletic younger son. With him, I had to remind him that each time he did something, he improved, and that his brain would eventually learn and do it automatically. It took him a long, long time to learn to put his own socks on, and I would remind him that now he does it without any effort because of all the times he did it. Phew! Sorry for the novella here.
Do you skate? Go with him. Let him see that everyone falls from time to time.
My (our) general rule is: you sign up for something? You finish the season. If you don't want to do the next season, that's fine. But you committed to one.
;-)
So Shortman finished one year of football and didn't go back. He's already talking about next years' baseball season though....11 years after the first one.
everyone should know how to ice skate. but especially if they live in Nova Scotia. I think seeing if you can manage a session with him between now and his next trip might help, or see if he'd be interested in lessons. My boys are hockey fiends and are desperately trying to learn to skate. Unfortunately, being 8 months pregnant, i can get on the ice with them but am not much use beyond that, although I am a good skater. we are going the lesson route.
good luck, and tell him everybody falls. Even Sidney Crosby. Well, maybe not Sid. But everyone else...
yes, keep him at it a little bit longer. Skating is an important skill, up there with typing. oh yeah, and I would talk up the hockey angle, it being CANADA and all...
Throwing my .02 in with everyone else who says that skating, especially for a Canadian, is an important thing.
I think, if you can get the time in before his next skating outing, that a couple of trips to a rink with a parent in tow might help too. Especially if you or B are able to give him some tips. Or lessons, if you can swing it time and money-wise.
I also like the season commitment ideas - if you sign up for something you need to stay in for the duration. Good life lesson there.
Hope it gets better for him!
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